Veal and Asparagus Stew in Lemon Sauce

Source: The Complete Meat Cookbook
Serves 6

The classic French veal stew, blanquette de veau, combines tender veal
chunks with baby onions and mushrooms in a white wine and cream sauce.
It's
delicious but far too rich for our modern palates. In this stew, we've
substituted
a tangy white wine and lemon sauce for the cream. It not only complements
the
veal but also makes a lovely accompaniment to blanched asparagus. Serve
this
stew with dumplings or egg noodles.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 pound mild Italian sausages (turkey or pork), removed from casings
2 cups chopped leeks (white part only)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 pounds boneless veal shoulder or bone in breast, cut into 2-inch
cubes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons chopped lemon zest
1 1/4 cups chicken or veal stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
24 small boiling onions
1/2 pound whole button mushrooms or large mushrooms, quartered
1 pound asparagus, woody stems removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large egg yolks


In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Put in
the sausage and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking the meat apart with a
fork. Add the leeks, garlic, carrots, and celery among with a pinch of
each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until
the vegetables are soft. Season the veal with salt and pepper and cook it
for 1 to 2 minutes, not to brown the meat but to let it absorb some of the
flavors. Stir in the tarragon, thyme, and lemon zest and cook for 1 minute
more. Pour in 1 cup of the stock and the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook,
uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the veal is quite tender. Meanwhile,
heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and a
pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes,
shaking the pan from time to time to keep the onions from sticking. Add
the remaining 1/4 cup stock. Cover the pan and continue cooking for 15
minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered, for 5 more minutes,
stirring often, until the onions and mushrooms are fully cooked. Set the
pan aside. Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3
minutes. Drain and cool the asparagus under cold running water. Set aside.
If the stew liquid has not become slightly syrupy during cooking, remove
the meat with a slotted spoon and boil the sauce to thicken it slightly.
Take the pot off the heat. Beat together the lemon juice and egg yolks in
a small bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the stew liquid. Add the reserved meat,
onions, mushrooms, and asparagus to the pot.

Without reheating the stew, stir in the egg and lemon mixture to thicken
the sauce slightly and give it a creamy texture. Take care when you add
the egg and lemon mixtu the egg will curdle if the liquid is too hot or
the stewis allowed to come to a boil afterward. Taste the sauce for salt
and pepper and lemon juice. Serve at once. Reheat gently over low heat, if
necessary. Recipes from The Complete Meat Cookbook. Copyright =A9 1998 by
Bruce Aidells and Dennis Kelly. Recipe reprinted by permission of Houghton
Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Serves 6

Calories: 424 Fat: 16g Carbohydrates: 17g Cholesterol: 182mg Sodium: 467mg
Protein: 45g Fiber: 4g % Cal. from Fat: 34% % Cal. from Carbs: 16%


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